ACADEMIC ADVISOR HANDBOOK HEALTH SCIENCES

Transcription

1 ACADEMIC ADVISOR HANDBOOK HEALTH SCIENCES

2 CONTENTS 1. The Purpose of Academic Advising 2. The Role of the Academic Advisor 3. The Role of the School in Student Support 4. University Level Support for Academic Advisors 5. Referral and Advice 6. Organisation of Academic Advising in the School of Health Sciences. 2

3 1. The Purpose of Academic Advising The University of Liverpool regards the role of the Academic Advisor as a fundamental component of the relationship between academic teaching staff and students. It is a key contributor to a positive student experience. For students, time spent at University brings opportunity not only for disciplinary academic growth but also for effective and guided personal development. Academic Advisors should aim to foster partnerships with students to promote their development as independent and scholarly learners. Academic Advising, by promoting both formal and informal contact between academic staff and students, fosters a sense of an academic community. The system is intended to contribute to the academic success of students by focussing on their individual development and ensuring their academic work is monitored and supported by their advisors. The advisor-student relationship should also ensure that academic progress is not obstructed by issues which may well be resolved by timely advice from the advisor or other support/professional services staff. The Academic Advisor should also develop a relationship with a student that is supportive in encouraging students to develop their skills for self-management and employment. This will best be realised through the experience of a welldesigned and delivered programme of learning, teaching and assessment, as well as through opportunities provided outside the formal curriculum. The new My Liverpool interactive resource is a website where students can find out about a wide range of co- and extra- curricular activities that they can take part in to make the most of their time at Liverpool. These opportunities include sports, music, volunteering, CE courses (some of which are free to students) opportunities to study abroad, specific activities organised by a student s school/department and many many more. Students can search the new website via A new My Liverpool e-portfolio system is bring introduced during the academic year, which will 3

4 provide students with a summary of co- and extra- curricular activities that they have taken part in lasting more than 7 hours, and which will also include the opportunity for students to reflect on the skills developed through participating in these activities. Activities from the My Liverpool e-portfolio will populate the Higher Education Achievement Reports (HEARs) For many new students life at university will bring great excitement along with new problems, stresses and anxieties, particularly in the early weeks. Many of these problems can be addressed if the student has the opportunity to talk and, most importantly, to be listened to. However, the Academic Advisor is only part of a network of support provided by the wider University. This handbook sets out the minimum engagement expected in your role as Academic Advisor. 4

5 2. The Role of the Academic Advisor All students at the University of Liverpool will be assigned a named academic member of staff as their Academic Advisor. Their role is to develop a relationship with the students assigned to them: to provide information, advice and guidance on academic matters; to direct students to further sources of information on academic matters and to the wide range of information, advice and guidance on non-academic matters available to students at Liverpool. Schools (and in some instances departments) will be responsible for the administration of this process [see section 6]. The Academic Advisor will: i. Meet with the student at the beginning of their studies and at the start of each new academic year. For new undergraduate, direct entry 2 nd year and postgraduate taught students, the initial meeting should normally take place during Welcome Week. This could be a group meeting where the Academic Advisor meets with ii. iii. iv. all newly assigned students. Ensure that the students are made aware of the additional support offered within the School and across the institution. Ensure that the students are aware that they can contact/meet with the Academic Advisor at other times during the year. i.e. AAs should provide details of their office hours. Arrange a second meeting to take place within the first 4-8 weeks of the 1 st semester. Ideally this should be a one to one meeting. At this meeting the Academic Advisor may help the student to review their experience so far, highlight the stated learning outcomes of the programme of study and discuss opportunities and a strategy for personal development [Section 6 will provided details on specific School advice for Academic Advisors. Students 5

6 undertaking PBL classes may have this meeting with the PBL tutor. Dates for these meetings are mapped against group rotations]. v. Arrange a further meeting (feedback tutorial) in the 2 nd semester during which overall progress can be discussed. vi. Keep a record of student attendance at these meetings. This is important in cases where a student complaint is made. Academic Advisors should be aware of the University Framework for Student Attendance. The sections relevant to the role of the Academic Advisor are reproduced below: Section The monitoring of student engagement by reviewing attendance at recordable activities will form part of the School s overall monitoring of students academic progress and their support for their wellbeing. A range of systems will be in place to do this, including the Academic Advisor system; Section If a student (subsequently) returns to their studies, a meeting will be held with their academic advisor to discuss their attendance and investigate any underlying issues or contributing factors affecting poor attendance. Section where a student is showing poor engagement by intermittent attendance, the normal processes for exploring the reasons for this with the student and providing support should take place, normally with the academic advisor. A guide to how Academic Advisors within the School should structure the meetings in the best interests of the students is detailed in section 6. 6

7 Notes: All students will be assigned an Academic Advisor. This includes UG, PGT, PGR and exchange students. Schools will be responsible for allocating Academic Advisors and for administration of the system. Where possible Academic Advisors should be initially allocated students who are studying within programmes they are associated with. Schools will be responsible for ensuring that Academic Advisors are provided with the necessary information, training and support to carry out the role (See section 6). Additional support will be provided by CLL. Students joining the University at different times in the year (i.e. as Year 2 entrants, PG medics etc.) should be provided the same support as Year 1 students. Mitigating circumstances: Academic Advisors should be prepared to give advice to students on the University Policy on Mitigating Circumstances, although students can also obtain guidance from the Guild if they wish. Academic Advisors should arrange appropriate student support if they are likely to be absent from the University for any reason. Schools should ensure that appropriate cover is provided where an Academic Advisor will be absent for a substantial period of time e.g. study leave. It may be appropriate in some areas that the undergraduate dissertation/project supervisor takes the role of Academic Advisor in the final year of study. The primary PGR supervisor will be indicated in the student Liverpool Life/TULIP record as the first point of contact for student support and it is likely that the supervisor will also have the role as Academic Advisor.. However, the Guide on Academic Progress of PGR Students states that all PGR students have a Progress Assessment Panel independent of the 7

8 supervisory team and that other independent figures are available, for example Directors of PGRs and mentors. Any of these might also carry out some of the functions of an Academic Advisor Formal timetabling of Academic Advising sessions is suggested as good practice. 8

9 3. The Role of the School in Student Support Each School will have a student support team available to provide advice to both students and staff and refer students to specialist support services available across the University. The support team can also give guidance on nonacademic/personal aspects of student life: information on who to contact will be found in the student handbook. In addition, students can independently contact central Student Support Services at any time during their studies; more information is available at Named persons within the school support team should be identified to act as an additional point of contact for students. Schools are responsible for ensuring this provision is made available and communicated to academic staff and students. Schools are also responsible for ensuring that appropriate training is provided to these individuals. The school student support team can comprise both academic and professional services staff. The organisation in the School is detailed in section 6. The school student support team will: i. Provide a point of contact within the School to provide both advice on School level procedures and signposting to central and specialised support services for both students and academic advisors. ii. Be proactive in responding to and liaising with central support services to meet the support needs of identified cohorts of students (e.g. mature, international, disabled, care leavers) and of vulnerable students e.g. students experiencing personal difficulties. iii. Be a point of contact for the Disability Support Team (or other central support services) prior to admission to co-ordinate necessary support. iv. Work with senior Academic Advisors and staff in central Professional Services to determine strategies and operations to support students with specific and complex difficulties. 9

10 4. University Level Support for Academic Advisors The Academic Advisor web page will provide links to all of the support required to effectively carry out the role. At the website you will be able to download copies of this handbook and discover information on all of the support services that will be available to students. 10

11 The webpage will also provide a link to an on-line Induction Guide for Academic Advisors: this is a brief (5 minute) video introduction to the role of the Academic Advisor. ilearn: ilearn is the University s online learning and skills development portal containing a skills diagnostic with feedback and interactive resources and quizzes. It can be accessed by all University of Liverpool students and has an extensive range of resources (both generic and subject specific) to support the development of skills appropriate to university level study. ilearn has proved popular and useful with students and with staff. Student Representation Procedures: An enhanced student representation system has been developed and implemented to try to improve the effectiveness of student engagement and representation at all levels, from specific student issues and concerns to real involvement in the quality systems and processes throughout the institution. At the core of the new framework is an enhanced role for Student Course Representatives (who sit on Staff Student Liaison Committees) in order to facilitate greater and more in-depth student involvement in Learning and Teaching and quality issues, as well as the more operational issues. To achieve this, more (structured) opportunities for course representatives to engage with the student body have been developed, together with additional support and training for the representatives. Further information can be obtained from Trish Lunt Trish.Lunt@liv.ac.uk or Emily Spurrell Emily.Spurrell@liv.ac.uk Case Studies (Student Talking Heads): Educational Development will (in collaboration with the Guild) prepare a series of student views on the role of the AA. These will be made available via the 11

12 AA web page and will present the views of students from all three faculties. CPD opportunities: The University offers generic training in the Role of the Academic Advisor. This training workshop, which is part of the Certificate in Professional Studies programme, will be offered 2 or 3 times per year. You can find out when the workshop will run and book onto the next session at the Academic Advisor web pages. Bespoke training within Schools: It is intended that School will provide bespoke induction and training in the Academic Advisor role. Information on such training will be provided by School student support offices. Senior Academic Advisors (Senior Tutors) may be allocated in your school to provide advice for new academic advisors and to support more formal student issues e.g. progress committee issues. Academic Advisor and student reference requests: Advice for AAs will be made available on the AA webpages. The Liverpool Guild of Students will prepare a Student Guide to Academic Advising providing guidance on their responsibilities and what they can expect from their AA. 12

13 5. Referral and Advice As a University Academic Advisor you will have a range of conversations with students and you may be able to offer advice on many issues however, it is likely that you will encounter situations that fall outside your expertise. You are not expected to play the role of a counsellor or specialist professional. It will always be in the interest of the student that, where appropriate, they are referred or self-refer on to the best advice and support available within the University. [Academic Advisors in the clinical Sciences should consult with the relevant Director of Student Support in such cases. See section 6 for contact details]. Confidentiality Confidentiality is a complex area. Often a student will appreciate that if an Academic Advisor is to help, confidential information may need to be given to others, such as Examining Boards. Academic Advisors should not pass on information obtained from a student to any third party unless a student s permission has been given, except where (1) the Academic Advisor believes that someone is at serious risk or (2) the Academic Advisor is concerned that an offence has taken place. Where it is thought that a student may be involved in criminal conduct or that others may be at risk, it is the duty of the Academic Advisor to report the matter to the appropriate authority and/or their Head of Department. University Support There is a well-established network of specialist services throughout the University to provide students, Academic Advisors and School Support Teams with advice and support in a number of specific areas: Central Student Support Services assist students with a range of welfare issues affecting their personal lives including traumatic incidents and safety. 13

14 Student Support Services coordinate responses to wider student issues across the University such as natural disasters and cases of meningitis, and support Schools and Departments in responding to critical incidents involving students. The University produces a Student Support Guide which is available online from the start of Welcome Week. Copies can be collected from the School Support Team, picked up from the Student Services Centre at 150 Mount Pleasant or downloaded from the web-link above; this Guide provides full details of support available at Institutional level. Information on Central and Institutional Support available is also provided in the Student Handbook. 14

15 6. Organisation of the Academic Advisor Programme in the School of Health Sciences. Guidance for Academic Advisors for formal meetings with students The Academic Advisor Policy expects that formal meetings will occur between Academic Advisors and their Advisees once every semester, with an additional meeting in Welcome Week for new students and ideally a similar meeting at the start of Year 2 with returning students (although this may be more difficult to arrange). Academic Advisors may prefer to arrange initial meetings as group meetings. For Year 1 students It is expected that a meeting will take place between weeks 4 8 of semester 1. Students are expected to have completed their personal development wiki and Employability Skills Assessment in VITAL prior to the meeting. The focus of the discussion for this meeting will be responses to questions answered (how well they have settled in, any concerns they may have) and the students assessment of their skills at this point. Following the meeting it is expected that the student completes an action plan on their personal development wiki. In semester 2, a meeting will be arranged following the release of the semester 1 results. The student will complete their personal development wiki prior to this meeting. The focus of discussion will be the responses to questions answered with particular emphasis on feedback from 1 st semester assessments. The action plan from the first meeting will be revisited and discussed and a new action plan developed. Years 2 & 3 15

16 In years 2 and 3 there will be two formal meetings between the academic advisor and advisee. The first meeting should take place early in semester 1 (this will be dependent on clinical placements) with the student having completed their personal development wiki and Employability Skills Assessment both of which will be the focus of the discussion. The previous action plan is reviewed and a new action plan completed by the student in their personal development wiki. Following release of semester 1 results a further meeting is arranged. The student will complete their personal development wiki prior to this meeting. The focus of discussion will be the responses to questions answered with particular emphasis on feedback from 1 st semester assessments. The action plan from the first meeting will be revisited and discussed and a new action plan developed. At each meeting the Academic Advisor will encourage the student to think about their progress and identify strengths and areas for development. As a result of this discussion guidance may be required to complete an action plan, this may include both short and long term objectives which are measurable. An Academic Advisor may guide the student to resources or support as required. Non-academic Support Jo Sharp is the Director of Support and Welfare within the School of Health Sciences and is supported by a student support team (contact details below). Jo Sharp (Senior Academic Advisor) jsharp@liv.ac.uk Maria Tiffin (Disability, Diversity and Equality Tutor) mtiffin@liv.ac.uk Bridget Porritt bporritt@liv.ac.uk Vicky Garner vgarner@liv.ac.uk Zainab Hussain z.hussain@liv.ac.uk David Newsham d.newsham@liv.ac.uk Alison Draper draper@liv.ac.uk Pauline Kean pkeane@liv.ac.uk Alan Kelly ajkelly@liv.ac.uk Julie Hanna juhanna@liv.ac.uk Flora Al-Samarraie falsam@liv.ac.uk

17 During your meetings a student may raise issues that are impacting on their studies. If you feel able to guide and support them by offering advice or signposting them to support within the School or University then do so. If however, you are unsure what to do then you can ask any member of the support team for advice or refer them directly to the team. If from your discussions you consider that a student has a learning need which may require additional support or who required support in previous years please ensure that you have made contact with the Directorate contact for Disability, Diversity and Equality. Diagnostic Radiography: Zainab Hussain z.hussain@liv.ac.uk Nursing: vgarner@liv.ac.uk Occupational Therapy: Maria Tiffin mtiffin@liv.ac.uk Orthoptics: Jigs Mehta jigs@liv.ac.uk Physiotherapy: Helen Lean hlean@liv.ac.uk Therapeutic Radiography Flora Al-Samarraie falsam@liv.ac.uk Support available within the School of Health Sciences School website Provides information on where help and advice can be sought. This includes an A-Z of support available. Student support noticeboard found on the mezzanine floor (secretaries floor) in the Thompson Yates Building. Advertising events and providing information Drop-in sessions, where students can meet with someone from the student support team. These sessions run between 1 2pm on 5 th October 2015 and 30 th November 2015 in M.08 Thompson Yates Building There is also access to clinical psychologists who can provide help with a number of issues You are able to contact them directly for advice but for referral please contact Jo Sharp (jsharp@liv.ac.uk ) Information leaflet sent at key times of the year (at start of academic year, prior to the assessment period and on release of results) 17